Allison Williams Beauty Q&A

Get the full hair and makeup story from this Girls' girl.

Girls has only had two short seasons, but Allison Williams has already cemented her name on the short list of ladies-to-watch. In a sea of actresses one-upping each other in increasingly over-the-top looks, Williams' more classic, all-American approach is a welcome reprive. That fresh faced appeal extends to her beauty ethos too, which is chic yet unfussy, in a way that feels approachable. BAZAAR chatted with the new face of Simple, a range of ultra sensitive facial skincare products with a holistic philosophy, about her routines, inspirations and that famous alter ego.

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Harper's Bazaar: What is your personal beauty philosophy?

Allison Williams: My philosophy is generally that the simpler it is, the better it will be. I am not someone who thinks that a million products will mean that you'll look perfect. I am definitely someone who subscribes to the notion that less is more when it comes to skin and hair, so it makes a lot of sense that I partnered with Simple Skincare because we share that notion. I didn't fully understand what a holistic approach to skin care was until I started working with them. I found it so immensely helpful—basically what they advise is that you really monitor how much water you drink, how much sleep you get, fitness, nutrition, et al, because they do end up impacting your skin. All of their products have ingredients that will not harm your skin.

HB: Has using a holistic approach to beauty products changed how you buy makeup?

AW: I'm always looking to do things more naturally, of course.

HB: How do you approach your beauty look for the red carpet?

AW: There's definitely consideration always for the lighting of the red carpet, the kind of flashes that are attached to those cameras. Makeup artists are trained to do makeup specifically for that kind of scenario. I'm someone who loves taking pictures from pages of magazines, I've pulled so many looks from the pages of your magazine...I can't even tell you. I am constantly taking pictures, I love this lip color, I love this lip shape, I love this eye, I love this eye shape, I love this shade of eye shadow, I love this blush... I'm constantly pulling from those kind of references and inspirations for red carpet looks. Often, if we choose the dress first we'll go from there. We'll see the dress and we'll see what kind of hair and makeup it dictates. It's all really fun.

HB: What's your beauty regime for a regular night out?

AW: As little as I can get away with! I try to always have a hair cut that I don't have to style every day, so I'll usually just let my hair air dry. For makeup, I'll use coverup if I need to, I'll put some coverup under my eyes, I'll do a little highlighter on my cheekbones, maybe cream blush, and then a dash of mascara and then I'm out the door.

HB: Is your approach to beauty similar to your characer Marnie's? Do you bring ideas or leave it in the hands of the artists on set?

AW: I definitely hand myself over to the hair and makeup gods of Girls. Our look on the show is very specific and it's different from mine in real life, although I've definitely learned things from working with both the hair and makeup people for the show. I's very interesting, the show is very natural, you don't get away with wearing much makeup. On most TV shows you are caked with makeup because the lights are so strong that it doesn't show up, but on our show if you're wearing one false eyelash it is immediately visible on camera, so none of us are wearing anything like that. In a lot of scenes I'm not really wearing any, a lot of us wear no makeup on the show. So it's definitely the art of making it look like we're wearing nothing—which is sometimes us just wearing nothing!

HB: Does that ever make you nervous?

AW: The funny thing is that at this point it doesn't any more. The first time I ever appear on camera on the show is in the first episode and I'm supposedly sound asleep laying next to Lena with a retainer quivering in my mouth, and so if that's your baseline it kind of takes away the nerve for ever looking bad on the show, because that's as bad as it's ever going to get.

HB: Who are some of your beauty inspirations? Who gets it right?

AW: I think Rose Byrne often gets it right, I just like how understated her makeup always is. I love what she does with her hair. I love Emma Watson's makeup a lot. I love Cate Blanchett. I'm biased though I love my makeup artist, Julie Harris, she is really phenomenal, but everyone has their technique and there are incredible looking girls out there.

HB: You're hair has become the thing that everyone talks about, what would be your reaction if you were asked to cut it for a role?

AW: Funny you should say that, I just cut my hair.

HB: Wow, you're going to shock people, how short?

AW: I cut about six inches off, it feels really strange. I'm still touching it so much I feel like a Valley Girl. But yes, I just cut it and it's a big adjustment but it felt kind of like a fresh start for fall and it feels good. I did it partially so that if and when someone asks me to cut it for a role I will feel less precious about it, because it is just hair, it's just insulation on the top of my head, but I do like to take good care of mine and I try not to over work it or overheat it or anything. But that said, I would be willing to do it for a role. Wigs are pretty amazing, so I would see if I could get away with a wig…but if not, off it goes!